Justice, Freedom, and Hope
by Anbraxis
Summary: WWII, a convoy leaves for England. But a captain's gut instincts prove to be right when they are caught in a storm and now instead of fighting the Germans, they end up fighting the Empire. See what happens when magic ends up fighting technology.
1. Introduction

This story is all fictional other then the ship's names. A bit short but I hope you like it. Please review I need to know if this story is something you would like to read and if I made any mistakes. If you don't like it give me a reason and I will be happy.

-Anbraxis

May 14th 1944

Convoy #84231

En route to Scapa Flow, England, from Naval Shipyard, Norfolk, Virgina

1400 hours

Convoy Roster

10 small ships

6 destroyers mixture of fletcher, gearing, and somers class

2 cruisers U.S.S. (Northampton Class) U.S.S. Philadelphia (Brooklyn Class)

1 battleship-U.S.S. South Dakota

1 escort carrier

2 tankers

35 cargo ships carrying various equipment and troops

Captain's Journal-Captain Roger Lieberman of U.S.S Agusta

Date of entry May 16th 1944

Our convoy has not run into much trouble of yet, other then some minor engine troubles on a destroyer. No U-boats have been sighted and the skies are clear. If the German's have realized there is a very large convoy, with a battleship no less, they will surely come after us. Speaking of battleships the U.S.S. South Dakota is truly an awe inspiring sight. I wonder how anyone would not flee from such a mighty ship. I do not think we will have any trouble with surface ships. I hope for once we will not be attacked. I have a very ominous feeling...

Captain's Journal-Captain Roger Lieberman

Date of entry May 17th 1944

One frigate and two destroyers have been attacked. A Minesweeper, U.S.S. Quail and one destroyer, U.S.S. Cushing, has sunk. The other destroyer, U.S.S. Brownson, was badly damaged and had to return to port. We recovered most of the men from both of the sunken ships but I am saddened to say that 59 men had died. Although not a horrific amount of deaths, one death is too many. We sunk one of the U-boats that had attacked us, but one escaped. Now we must be prepared for additional attacks in case they return to crush us with greater numbers. Rear Admiral Robinson has ordered us to change course so they will not be able to track us. There is a storm on the horizon so I have told for the sailors to get prepared for a rough ride.

Captain's Journal-Captain Roger Lieberman

Date of entry May 18th 1944

The storm has hit us. We are being tossed around like mere pebbles. Some of the minesweepers have nearly sunk. We are hitting nearly 20 feet high waves. Our long range radios have been knocked out and our deck is being pounded. There is something I don't know what it is it looks like a bri-

-

POV Change

The huge convoy of ships remained still on blue waters. The sun shined above them. Nothing made a sound other then the water caressing the ships gently. On the ship themselves nothing stirred, but you would have seen several bodies laying on the ground. Were they dead? No they were breathing. It seems as though they where knocked out. And this, this is how it began. How the war turned for the better. How evil was knocked right off its throne.


	2. Chapter 1 Insertion

Here is the second chapter, where the plot starts to thicken. Enjoy! -Anbraxis

Chapter 1 Insertion

This was an absolute and utter mess. The man stood on the bridge looking outside with a scowl on his face. He looked to be in his early 50s or late 40s but he radiated potent command. His white uniform was clean and the insignia marked him to be a upper half rear admiral. This man was Rear Admiral Robinson and he was not happy.

He continued to scowl and watch the horizon as he thought about his next course of action. This morning he like every other sailor in the convoy woke up to clear skies. He didn't know how every single last one of them was knocked out at the same time and woke up at the same time. Neither Great Britain or the United States was responding to his repeated hails.

Pulling him back to the present a rather flustered ensign said "Sir, our scouts are reporting sightings of land south-east of us."

Without another word he briskly walked past the ensign and proceeded down to the main navigation bridge. Several people saluted him and he responded with a curt nod.

When he reached the main navigation room he, being a direct man by nature, called out to Captain Whitcomb, "Captain! What's the situation?"

Captain Whitcomb looked up from the map and responded quickly, having gotten used to the rear admiral he wasn't surprised. "Sir, we have echo 3,4, and 5 reporting that they found land approximately 50 miles south east of us but..."

The admiral cut him off, "So where are we Captain? Near Britain I hope. "

The captain resumed "That is the problem Admiral, I have no idea where we are! The scouts are reporting that they are seeing gigantic mountains! All three of them!"

The rear admiral paused for a second then said slowly "There are no mountains on the coast of Europe, or Africa!"

"That is what I mean sir."

The rear admiral was not a stupid man. He thought things out and knew that all three pilots couldn't be all insane. As he was thinking the scout dubbed echo 3 was seeing something, and he could not believe what he was seeing.

---

Echo 3 was a dauntless scout from the escort carrier "Intrepid". It was high enough so that it looked more like a bird then a plane. This was encase he ran into any jerry flak, but he didn't see any signs of civilization let alone flak.

He scanned the ground for any landmarks that could identify where in God's name they were. Then he saw something that would remain in his mind for the rest of his life.

He yelled over the roar of the engine to his radio man "HEY SAM! YOU SEEING THIS?"

Sam yelled back after a pause, "YEAH I'M SEEING IT! DON'T WORRY YOU'RE NOT INSANE!"

"YOU EVER THINK ABOUT THE POSSIBLITY THAT WE BOTH MIGHT BE INSANE?!"

Sam chuckled worriedly as he reported this back to the U.S.S. South Dakota.

---

The captain and the rear admiral were chatting as the communication's officer started receiving a message from Echo 3.

After a while of staring at the message that he had written down he said to both of the officers, "Sir, I have a message from Echo 3."

Rear Admiral Robinson said a bit annoyed, "Then tell us."

"Start message, we have found a walled city by a bay and..."

This time it was the captain who spoke , "A walled city?"

"Yes sir."

The captain had a puzzled frown on his face as he spoke, "What's the rest of the message?"

The communications officer paused for a second and continued, "and from what we can discern the city is under attack by siege machines and soldiers of the medieval era. End message."

For several seconds that seemed like years there was only silence.

Then the rear admiral burst into action, "Tell Echo 3 to get their asses down here! And get Echo 2 to get visual confirmation!"

The communications officer nodded and turned back to his station.

The captain murmured, "If they are right... Hell I don't think we are on Earth anymore."

The captain sat down and rubbed his face not wanting to face the problem. He had a wife and kids! God damn it! What the hell happened? Where the hell were they?

Rear Admiral Robinson put a hand on the captain's shoulder sympathetically and said, "I need you, captain, to focus on the problem."

Captain Whitcomb nodded and waited for Echo 2 to report in.


	3. Chapter 2 Encounter

Finnaly! The true crossover has begun! Reviews are appreciated!-Anbraxis

Chapter 2 Encounter

May 19th, 1944

Location Unknown

Rear Admiral Robinson paced as he thought. It had been one hour since Echo 2 reported back, confirming Echo 3's sighting, one hour since his entire life was turned upside down. One, he had no idea where they were. Two, he had no idea how he got here. And three, he had to choose whether to ignore these two warring factions, or contact them. And if he contacted them, what would happen? How many men should he send? Most importantly, should he contact both of them or just one of them? If so then which one?

He shoved all those thoughts away and focused on what he needed to do at this moment. He grabbed the intercom and said in a clear, commanding voice "All right! Listen up! I'm not going to beat around the bush! We have no idea where we are, and we have received reports of a civilization in the medieval era! Forget about England boys. Don't think we are going to go back for a long time. This might be a shock, but I need you all to focus!"

A shocked silence was predominant on all the ships as the intercom had been linked to all ships. Some people had disbelieving looks, others of anger, but most had a shell shocked look. Even the captains of their own ships had shocked looks on their faces as they had not been told.

As an afterthought the rear admiral added "May God be with us all." And put the intercom back into it's place.

The officers were the first ones to recover and shouted at the sailors to snap out of it and get back to work. The sailors, as shocked as they were, did indeed snap out of it their training kicking in.

Rear Admiral Robinson sat back down with Captain Whitcomb and got back to work.

May 20th, 1944

7 Miles away from the Unknown city

An alarm blared as the captain's called over their own respective intercoms "General Quarters!"

Men with life jackets and combat helmets manned their own respective stations, from damage control to medical personnel. From 20mm anti-aircraft guns to the U.S.S. South Dakota's mighty 16 inch guns. Several scout planes were launched. The Rear Admiral was taking no chances in unknown territory.

36 volunteers geared up for their mission, first contact with an unknown civilization. Three destroyers, two small ships and a troop transport split off from the main fleet, heading quickly towards the city.

This was only happening so early because scouts had reported that the attacking army seemed to have won against the defenders. So the rear admiral operated on the phrase, "Better now then never." And he hoped that he didn't make the wrong call.

When the ships got within three miles of the city they raised white flags of truce to make their intentions clear. In the ships the group of soldiers prayed, joked, or sat solemnly waiting for the hour of truth to come. Many of the other sailors and soldiers did the same. They hoped for the best, and that was all they could do for now.

When the ocean began to get too shallow for the destroyers the 36 men climbed down a cargo net into a LCVP, or more commonly known as the Higgins Boat, a shallow bottomed transport to land troops, painted like everything else in the navy, a light gray. One of the soldiers stuck a impromptu white truce flag on it and it sped away.

The collection of destroyers and frigate sized ships turned broadside just in case they needed to provide supporting fire. The 5 inch guns turned and raised their barrels ready to unleash a barrage of whoop ass on the enemy.

The LCVP steered north of the city and approached a suitable beach there. The soldiers checked, and then double checked their weapons that ranged from the standard M-1 Garand, to Browning Automatic Rifles.

Through the two view ports in the metal plate in front of the LCVP the land grew steadily larger until the transport hit land and the metal plate came down and the troops rushed out their weapons raised and ready to fire. Nothing met them on the beach other then a crab, crushed by the falling metal plate.

Seeing no one was there six men were left to guard the transport while rest of the platoon moved out toward the city. When they got near enough to see the city one soldier raised the flag of truce as they marched onward hoping they were not going to be attacked.

When they got near the wall of the city they saw several archers were positioned on them. Seeing that they really were in a different place, perhaps even a different world, several of them grew grim. Two of the troops snickered seeing they used bow and arrows but the Sargent shut them up with sharp smacks to the head.

They entered the city through the open gates and several soldiers met them. The two groups looked each other over and both of them thought the same thing, _what they are wearing is useless! _A tall, big man with metal plate armor and a broad sword stepped up. His brown eyes were hard, a veteran's eye, but they showed curiosity.

He asked a very simple question "Who are you?"

A soldier stepped up his insignia marking him a major "My name is Major James Park of the United States Marine Corp. and we are here to talk to you, preferably your commanding officer."

The man withheld a question that he wanted to ask and instead said "Aye then, you are looking for Nasuada then. She told us to escort you." He walked toward the center of the city, his own troops following him or taking the rear behind Major Park's platoon.

Several guards stared at the newcomers and whispered among themselves until the big man shouted at them to get back to their duties. As they progressed farther into the city they saw more soldiers and they got harder and harder to send away. They entered the inner wall and even more soldiers were there and all of them stared at them. At this point the big man who had identified himself as Darlock had given up on trying to disperse the soldiers.

Major Park's platoon tightened their grip on their weapons as the procession came to a stop. Darlock motioned for Major Park to enter the tent. He decided that it was best to only have several soldier's with him rather then the full platoon. He told Private Lieberman, Sargent Farlay, and Private Rickerson who carried the radio, to follow him inside the tent.

When the entered they saw a woman who they presumed was Nasuada, an African woman wearing battle armor as if they had been fighting moments before, but the most surprising thing was her eyes, steeled from what she had seen, for she had seen the horrors of war. But in the next second they all registered something they could not have prepared for. They saw two... monsters giant brutes with dark skin and cruelly curled horns. All four marines raised their weapons instinctively.

In response all of the guards and personnel around Nasuada unsheathed their swords or took up their axes.

Then Nasuada spoke in a calm voice, "I suggest you put those things down. I do not think they will do much damage against Kull."

Major Park replied in a tense voice, "Before we comply, please tell us what those things are."

"You do not know of Urgals? Or Kull?" Asked Nasuada in a very surprised tone.

"No we don't"

"If you do not, I will give you my assurance they will not attack, unless you do."

Major Park nodded and the marines put down their weapons still uneasy.

"Now I will ask you a question ma'am, where in God's name are we?"

Evil cliff hanger :)


	4. Chapter 3 Into the Hearts of Men

I loved writing this chapter as much as I hated it. I hope you will see what I mean. I hope you enjoy. Reviews as always is appreciated.-Anbraxis

Chapter 3 Into the Hearts of Men

An ensign turned in his station and called out, "Sir! We have a ship on radar!"

Rear Admiral Robinson replied, "Give me details Ensign!"

"We have a frigate sized ship, no two of them, moving close to us about 10 miles out, northwest of us. From their current speed I would guess it will take about 40 minutes for them to reach us sir." Called out the ensign.

The rear admiral pondered on this for a while. He needed to contact them. He still did not meet the other side of this situation. They might know something that the ones in the city might not. It was too much of a risk not to go. Too much force might provoke them to attack, while too little force will make them seem non-threatening. Well even the smallest ship in their convoy could sink those two ships easily, but they didn't know that. After thinking it over he said, "Relay instructions for the USS. Quincy to meet them 5 miles out from us. Raise a flag of truce and hold fire until attacked."

He knew the USS. Quincy had enough firepower to knock 20 of those ships out easily. With eight 5" guns, 8 torpedo tubes, 2 depth charge launchers, four 20mm anti aircraft guns and other smaller guns it was a formidable destroyer. He also was a friend of the captain of the Quincy, Commander Cunningham, however he worried his easy going attitude might get him in trouble. He climbed up to the observation deck needing some fresh air after being cooped up for so long.

As Rear Admiral Robinson stepped into the fresh air he tasted, saw and listened to the ocean he loved so much. He put his hands on the railings and looked out into the horizon and saw the USS Quincy steaming away from them. He had a bad feeling about this. He disregarded the feelings but they still stayed bothering him to no ends. He sighed and looked to the horizon, as if hoping to find the answers there.

---

Commander Cunningham was confident, a stark contrast to the feeling that the rear admiral had. His destroyer could take anything those primitive ships could throw at it. He was getting cocky, a bad thing for a captain to feel when he is about to engage an unknown force.

The ship cut through the ocean at maximum speed at 39 knots. The ships were in plain view. That only bolstered the captain's and the sailor's confidence, making them sloppy. The sailors played cards at their stations and some even had the audacity to go back to their quarters on duty. They didn't take them seriously. Why would they? They could sink one of those ships with a single volley of 5" shells.

The unknown nationality ships approached, with no indication that they were going to flee. The distance between the three ships slowly closed the gap between them. They raised a white flag of truce and the sailors, for the most part, stopped goofing off so much. The commander was feeling some tension now, but not much.

He called for the ship to slow down as they got closer and eventually it completely stopped. The other ships continued coming until they were on ether side of the USS. Quincy. The captain immediately saw something wrong here but he held his breath hoping it was nothing to worry about and he was being paranoid. Then the two ships opened fire with ballistae on the Quincy.

The first volley of ballistae cut down the men on deck impaling them or taking out an arm. Adding to the havoc arrows hit them bouncing off the metal deck harmlessly or finding targets of soft flesh. Screams filled the deck below of dying and wounded men. The commander visibly paled and yelled "Open fire! NOW DAMN IT!" While the commander yelled for the marine detachment on board to get on deck several grappling hooks latched onto the railings of the ships from both sides.

The 5" guns finally opened fire blowing apart one, but most of the men on deck, including the 20mm gunners and .50 cal. Gunners, were dead. The turrets slowly traversed as the boarding party of about 70 got on board the Quincy. They were armed with mostly swords and they rushed into the open doors and screams could be heard from inside the ship echoing off of the metal walls. The 5" gun fired on the other ship causing it to split into many pieces and sink.

A flustered marine with a wound across his arm that was bleeding quite profusely and with soot covered hair ran in the bulkhead door yelling "Sir! They wont die! We shot them but they keep on coming, laughing! We will try to take them out sir but I don't think we will manage. Last I saw we only had 15 men left." And he started out the door again but he stopped and added, "I'll try to take as many of those bastards as I can sir."

Most of the bridge crew now was silent, grim, and morose. Commander Cunningham addressed them, "I failed you. Try to get to the life boats. Call for all the men that are still alive to abandon ship. You all have 10 minutes until I call for the USS South Dakota to blow this ship."

The crew ran out grabbing their weapons if they had them. A warrant officer stopped at the door and asked "You will be following us, right sir?

The commander smiled and replied "I'll be right behind you."

After he was gone he closed the bulkhead door and locked it. He called over the intercom "All remaining crew members abandon ship, I repeat abandon ship."

He knew it was a lost cause the marines were surely wiped out and now most of the crew were probably being slaughtered. He saw some of the crew enter the lifeboats and escape from the ship. Someone started banging on the steel door. He ignored it and sat down. After a while no men came out from the doors. He waited for a couple more minutes as he watched the lifeboats get away from the ship. He took off his, crumpled it up in his hand, and threw it to the ground.

He had caused this, he was the one to blame, he was the one that had killed dozens if not hundreds of those poor boys. Some of them no more then 17. Silent tears dropped to the ground.

He called on the intercom one last time his voice echoing though the mostly empty ship "Men I failed you. I am calling for Rear Admiral Robinson to give us one last huzzah. I did not deserve this chance to serve with you. I hope you are all happy in the afterlife. You all deserve it."

He realized the radio was calling for him and he answered it.

---

What the hell was going on? First the ships get much too close to the Quincy then they open fire! He saw the Quincy send one of the ships to the bottom of the ocean but the other ship managed to send a boarding party before meeting a similar fate to its companion. Now the Quincy was not responding to his repeated calls. Rear Admiral Robinson was worried indeed.

"Sir it looks like they are abandoning ship!" Called a sailor outside with a binocular.

He stepped outside and took a binocular and saw that the sailor was right! They were abandoning ship!

He had already sent several ships to assist the Quincy at the first sign on trouble. Now some of the ships began recovering the lifeboats.

A sailor inside said "Sir Commander Cunningham is calling for you."

He walked in and took the headset. And said, "Kyle you idiot why are you still in the ship?! Why weren't you in the lifeboats? And What the he-"

Kyle Cunningham cut him off, "Look John before you say anything more I can't live knowing I killed that many men because of my stupidity. If you try to clear the ship you might lose more men then you save."

"Don't give me that shit! Stop being a dumb ass and ju-"

"John just stop. You know I'm right. I'm not worth a single one of those boy's life. Just as a last request, as a friend John, take me out with a bang."

Rear Admiral Robinson knew he was right, he knew that fighting inside the ship was likely to blow the ship up anyway. He knew that it was dangerous, outright dumb to launch a full scale rescue mission.

He made up his mind and he called into the radio, "I'll see you in hell, Kyle Cunningham."

He called to the bridge crew, "Get all the ships I sent out to recovering the lifeboats and pull back. Then fire on the Quincy. It is full of enemy troops and it is too dangerous to attempt a rescue mission."

There was a chorus of "Yes sir"s and they got to work their faces showing the anger they held. He knew one good thing had come out of this, an army with a reason to fight.

The 16" guns got into place and fired sending 9 shells streaking toward the USS Quincy. The rear admiral watched two of the shells hit on target engulfing the ship in fire. As the smoke cleared they all saw the bow of the ship sinking below the icy waves. Debris floated on the surface were some oil caught on fire. Amazingly against all odds floating on top of the water was the cap of a United States Navy commander.

An unauthorized, but appreciated bugler started playing taps in this dark hour, matching most of the crew's emotions. Many men had resolute faces, while some wept. No man stopped him and no man spoke. The melancholy notes echoed over the calm sea, into the sky, and into the hearts of men.

As the last notes played out Rear Admiral Robinson took off his cap in respect, and wept.

Taps-A song played at millitary funerals and the call for the end of the day.

T_T


	5. Chapter 4 Debriefing

**Hey all! Here is the very long over due chapter. I hope I adressed some of the questions you had in this chapter. **

* * *

Chapter 4 Debriefing

Rear Admiral Robinson sat in his room waiting. He had called for a private talk with the only surviving marine from the USS. Quincy. He wanted to hear for himself what had happened. It was confusing in those few moments after the Quincy had sunk. No one really quite knew what exactly had happened. Several crew had been interviewed and they had gotten a shrewed idea of what had happened. First the ballistae and the arrows had killed much of the surface crew. Then as they had gotten boarded by approximately 70 men armed with short range weapons and went inside of the ship. Inside the ship it was cramped and dangerous to shoot so the marines were at a disadvantage. After that the marines broke rank for some reason and fled.

That was what Rear Admiral Robinson was trying to figure out, _why did they break rank?_ He hoped to get his answers from the marine. He wondered while he waited how he was going to act next. This attack was certainly a declaration of war. A knock snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Come in." He said clearing the table.

A rather bold looking marine stepped and saluted. His hair was jet black and his body was lean, but he seemed strong. His eyes was a green color that reveled nothing to him, like a stone wall. He looked to be in his young 20s. He had several bandages on him. He did not smile or make any gesture what so ever other then holding the salute.

The rear admiral nodded for the man to stand at ease.

"What is your name soldier?" The rear admiral already knew his name, in fact he had read his file thoroughly, but he wanted to seem friendly.

The soldier said in a formal, respectful tone, "Private Sullivan sir. Alpha company of the 509th."

Rear Admiral Robinson only nodded and asked, "Can you tell me what happened on the Quincy Private?"

"Yes sir, we were not put on alert and many of the marines felt that we were in no danger so we were woefully unprepared. When the alarm came on most of us didn't have time to equip ourselves properly, most of us just grated our rifles and ammo and ran to meet the enemy. We met the enemy in the corridors and we began firing at them but the narrowness of the corridor only allowed two or three of the men to fire at one time. And... some of the soldiers that we had shot stood back up laughing the bullets had gone clean through them and they laughed..." He trailed off his eyes showing a hint of the horror he had faced.

The rear admiral was quite shocked at this information and perhaps even a little afraid... He couldn't see how even battle hardened troops could keep their morale in the sight of an enemy you thought dead to stand back up again, laughing.

Private Sullivan started up again his voice once again steady, "We spread out because the corridors were too small and the enemy might be anywhere. Some of the squads broke rank when they saw the soldiers laughing, some got hit in the rear, and by the time most of the chaos was over, the rest of my squad was gone. I heard the commander call for abandon ship and I managed to get out. I can only guess that the rest of the squads died." He once more became silent as the rear admiral mulled over what he had said in his head.

Rear Admiral Robinson had several holes in what had happened. He needed that information if he was going to fight against whoever attacked the Quincy. Private Sullivan waited patently as the time passed.

The rear admiral stood up abruptly and walked out the door and motioned Private Sullivan to follow. The private withheld some questions and followed the rear admiral to the command deck. As the rear admiral walked in he immediately started barking out orders.

"Tell the 509th to get ready for deployment, and get me Major Park on the horn."

Major Park leaned against his chair and spoke in a slow and clear tone, "So you are telling me that magic exists, there are dwarfs and elves, and a tyrannical dragon king..."

Nasuada cut him off "Dragon rider king."

"Whatever, and a tyrannical dragon rider king ruling over the so called 'Empire'?"

Nasuada nodded.

He put his hands in his face for a moment then exploded, "ARE YOU INSANE?"

Nasuada seemed to expect this kind of response and spoke in her ever calm tone, "If you want proof then I can easily give it to you."

Major Park waved his hands and said, "Oh please be my guest."

He crossed his arms thinking that every single person in this place was nuts.

Nasuada called for Jarsha and told him to get Eragon and Saphira. The boy nodded and ran off.

After a few minutes there were some shouting and Major Park was able to hear some choice curse words. He heard the sound of a fight and more shouting. He ran out of the tent to see what it was and saw something that imprinted on his mind for all of eternity.

There were two Varden solders restraining a marine but the rest of the marines had their rifles raised and ready. As he looked up to what they were aiming at he saw a giant, sapphire dragon looking very irritated.

The stand off lasted for what seemed like several hours when in fact it was only a few seconds. Major Park regained his wit and shouted "Weapons down marines, or I'll have all your asses court marshaled!"

Several marines complied warily not taking their eyes off of the dragon. But about a dozen did not until Major Park came to them personally and relived them of their weapons. The dragon snorted in obvious distaste. Then a voice, somehow more refined and clear then any he had heard before spoke, "Saphira thinks those clubs you all are holding are pretty useless."

Major Park turned around and saw a human besides the dragon that he had not noticed. But he didn't really seem... well human. His face was more angled and smoother, and the most distinguishing thing about him was his ears that tapered down to a point at the end.

Major Park sat down on the ground and rubbed his face with his hands. He removed his hands and muttered mostly to himself, "Dragons, elves, monsters, dwarfs, it seems I've gone mad."

Sargent Farlay patted his back crouching next to him and said, "Don't worry, your not the one that has gone mad, the world is though. Well this one anyway." The Sargent stood up and held out his hand, "Need a hand sir?"

The major regained his cool and took his hand muttering a word of thanks. Mean while Private Rickerson got a radio call, saying that the rear admiral was on his way, along with half of the 509th marine battalion.

* * *

The LCVP hit the beach and lowered the ramp like the dozen others that were landing on the same beach that Major Park landed on. Rear Admiral Robinson stepped on to the beach in his white dress uniform along with a helmet and a life jacket but not much else. The first wave consisted mostly of armed men and supplies. Organizing this was quite a pain, finding the right equipment, then loading the equipment and providing the necessary LCVPs.

He watched as the marines formed a perimeter around the beach head while a swarm of unarmed marines began unloading the boats. They had been unable to find enough weapons for the marines quick enough and as a result they were not armed. But there was an adequate amount of marines to defend the beach head for now.

When the marines finished unloading the LCVPs they headed back to the supply ships to get the vehicles.

Several planes buzzed overhead while the marines continued working while the officers and NCOs maintained order. The once peaceful beach was chaotic with marines digging foxholes, erecting tents, unloading equipment, and some chatting until yelled at by a NCO or officer to get back to work.

The rear admiral along with some of his guards and Private Sullivan waited until the LCVPs crashed on to the beach once more. This time when they lowered the ramps they held more equipment, trucks, and 2 jeeps. The drivers hurried to get the vehicles off of the landing craft and the engines roared to life. They drove off the ramps and the LCVPs raised their ramps and went back to the supply ships.

Admiral got in a jeep along with two of his guards as Private Sullivan boarded a truck along with about 12 marines including him. The drivers pulled away from the beach heading toward the city.

The ride was bumpy but manageable. They found a dirt road that lead toward the city and used that. The .50 cal turret gunner on the jeep scanned the area for hostiles as the vehicles entered the city as the wooden gates creaked open.

The Varden soldiers looked at the vehicles in shock. What were these things? Carriages without horses? What kind of magic or trickery could it be?

The truck and jeep roared past the shell shocked soldiers, causing a small dust storm to form behind them. They stopped as they saw a marine waving at them to halt. The marine gave the drivers instructions to move in to the city and stop when they got to the inner wall. The marine saluted as they drove off.

They got to the inner gate fairly quickly parting the way with their unearthly roar. The vehicles slowed to a stop at the inner gate several awe struck Varden soldiers indicating them to enter the tent inside of the walls.

The Rear Admiral got off along with the rest of the troops as they filed in, Major Park's platoon saluting as he passed. The soldiers stopped as the rear admiral entered the tent.

Major Park stood up and saluted as the rear admiral entered and he saw several things that would at least disturb most men. The two kull watching him.

The rear admiral blinked twice and said, "Do you mind to staring at me?"

The Kull smiled and said in a guttural voice, "You are indeed worthy to lead white coat! Many men would cower under our gaze!"

Rear Admiral Robinson only smiled and addressed the black woman that seemed to hold authority. I suppose you are Nasuada?

Nasuada nodded and responded, "And I suppose you are Rear Admiral Robinson?"

The rear admiral nodded.

"Now, I know all that you have told Major Park so you don't have to go through it again. So tell me, are you interested in forming an alliance?"

Nasuada smiled and said, "Of course! Do you have any terms?"

Rear Admiral Robinson's eyes glittered, "May I see the dragon?"

A sapphire blue dragon head stuck through the tent flap and snorted in distaste. And a voice spoke in the rear admiral's mind in a very disgruntled tone, _My name is Saphira._

The rear admiral smiled and said aloud "My apologies. Very interesting form of communication you have."

Saphira scrutinized him with her bright blue eyes and said _Well, at least you know your manners._

And the rear admiral could have sworn that she smiled.

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**Yes its going to speed up (I hope) from now. R & R all that good stuff. :) - Anbraxis**


	6. Chapter 5 Explanations

I know I was... dead for a while. I have a reason but no reason is good enough for you guys T_T. Sorry if any of you are still with me please forgive me. I will update more regularly and I promice that a major twist is up ahead. Any suggestions are welcome, if you want to flame me for my absance I don't mind. Well read on!

-Anbraxis

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Chapter 5 Explanations

The marines outside waited for hours on end, not knowing when the negotiations would end. Some had struck up a game of cards with friendly Varden solders. Most Varden solders however looked at them and their trucks fearfully, rumors that they were users of black magic spreading among the ranks of the Varden like wildfire. Some Varden solders, such as the ones that were playing cards with the marines, approached them and asked them how the trucks worked. The marines overcome with boredom gladly told them, although they were still confused in the end. The NCOs had all but given up trying to keep order, in fact some of them had joined the card game.

Private Sullivan in the meanwhile was waiting silently outside of the tent his gaze fixated on the dragon that blocked the tent flaps. When they first saw the dragon he was awed, most of the other soldiers just shook their heads with mutterings of, "The world gone mad...", "Looks like those damn Europeans got it right after all eh?" or "I would rather face a whole platoon of japs then the that beast..."

Private Sullivan wondered what it would be like to fly... He dreamed of himself soaring high in the sky, with more freedom then even those pilots. He continued dreaming until the dragon pulled its head out of the tent and the elf human came out of the tent and got on the saddle on the dragon's neck. The dragon took off with a flourish, its mighty wings causing one marine who was too close to fall down. They took off into the sky and flew off into the distance only leaving behind a flustered marine and gouge marks in the earth.

After Private Sullivan helped the marine up Rear Admiral Robinson, Major Park, and Nasuada all came out of the tent in that order. The marines and solders of the Varden stopped what they were doing and got up looking at the obviously high ranking men and women. Major Park told them all to get ready to leave, Rear Admiral Robinson called for Private Rikerson, and Nasuada called for runners to get all of her private guard.

While this was happening many of the Varden were gathered in the inner walls of Feinster to look at the new and strange solders that had arrived. Nasuada with her uncanny intuition knew this. She cried out to the crowd, "Now! You all know you have never seen these solders before! They come from a land called the 'United States'! Although they may be different, know that they will help us to topple the oppressive regime that Galbatorix has force upon us! With their help, we will take the war to Galbatorix and end this war, once and for all!"

At the end of her impromptu speech a loud roar issued from the Varden. The yelling was deafening. Major Park stood still out of dignity along with Rear Admiral Robinson, but some of the marines plugged their ears.

When the cheering died down Nasuada's personal guard had managed to arrive. Most of them did not know what was going on, neither did the marines. Major Park clarified things, "Alright boys, we are going to escort Lady Nasuada back to the beachhead! Keep things professional you hear?"

The marines chanted in replay, "Yes sir!"

All the marines, save for two squads, entered the trucks while Nasuada, the rear admiral, and Major Park took seats in jeeps. Nasuada was assured that the jeep was perfectly safe and would not throw her off. A dwarf guard got in the back. The rest of Nasuada's guards were on the ground while the two marine squads scouted for the group.

The trucks and jeeps roared to life as the drivers turned the ignition. Many of Nasuada's guards backed as far as they could away from the strange machines. The dwarf in the back of Nasuada's jeep cursed loudly in his native language. Nasuada herself looked calm but she seemed to be gripping the seat so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

After the Nasuada's guards got over their initial shock, the trucks and jeeps headed out after the two squads of marines had left. The guards seemed rather unnerved by the loud roaring of the trucks and jeeps, the Kull ignored it and seemed unaffected by the loud noise. As they pushed through the streets of Feinster, they saw several soldiers looking at them as if they were scared.

* * *

They continued to roll on none the less and made their way out of the city. They moved slower due to the marching troops on the ground. The scouts reported back via hand held radio occasionally, but they mentioned nothing of danger. This continued on for about two hours, the marines chatted with each other but the guard said nothing the only sound they made were the sound of marching feet. Nasuada had relaxed and asked the driver of the jeep, "How does this... thing work?"

The driver seemed amused and said, "The engine runs on gasoline, it compresses the air you see using pistons and they inject the gasoline into the compressed air and use a spark to set a fire to push the piston down, this happens very quick and the up and down motion of the pistons..." He stopped when he saw that Nasuada was clearly not understanding a word he said. After that it was relatively quiet other then the chatter of the marines and the engines.

* * *

Then after about 3 hours since they left Feinster, scouts reported back to the main group, "We got a major Charlie Foxtrot, we have about a 100 enemies all in a camp 2 miles down the road"

Private Rikerson, who had the radio told Major Park and Admiral Robinson and they being at the front of the convoy signaled for a stop. They got out of the jeep and strode towards Nasuada who got out of the jeep rather unsteadily while the dwarf looked as if he was going to throw up.

Major Park pointed down the road that was surrounded by a forest and told Nasuada, "We have a hundred troops down the bend about a mile away."

Nasuada frowned in concentration, "If we catch them by surprise we will lose a small amount of troops. It seems we get to see how those weapons of yours work. We should go into the woods and strike them while they are still in their camp."

Major Park spoke up, an idea to prove their mettle forming, "If I may, I think we should only engage them with our troops first, if we are unable to destroy them all then your troops flank them coming out of the woods."

Nasuada seemed unimpressed by Major Park's plan, "I doubt you can kill them all with your men, you only have about 50."

"If we fail to kill them all then you can flank them, ether way we will destroy them." Major Park said calmly.

Nasuada after a moment of consideration nodded, "Yes that is a good plan, I will inform my guard."

48 U.S. Marines and waited in the woods, their fingers on their triggers. Major Park waited for the right moment, the Empire's troops patrolling the edge of their camp, while some lazed around in the camp. He was close enough to hear some of their conversations. He aimed for an unfortunate soldier that was patrolling closest to them. After a moments wait he pulled the trigger and the gun fired with a loud 'Bang!'. The man he was aiming for dropped dead his neck shot and bleeding. He struggled feebly for a second then died.

The other marines fired right after Major Park and they could hear the cry of shot and dying men. Soldiers rushed out of the tents and were shot. A machine gun opened up cutting through the ranks of Soldiers. Their armor was no help against the hail of bullets. The skirmish was quick and bloody. The marines killed all hundred men in less then three minutes.

After the last shot had been fired, the marines came out of the forest and started clearing the camp with fixed bayonets. Nasuada and her guards came out of the brush with unsheathed weapons. They kept their distance from the marines looking at them warily.

With a rush of air, the great blue dragon touched down with her rider on her saddle, the rider fully prepared for battle. The dragon also looked at the marines warily while the rider dismounted. The marines feeling a bit intimidated raised their own weapons.

Major Park seemed angry at this turn of events, "What is the meaning of this Nasuada? Why do you suddenly turn your weapons against us?"

The rider joined Nasuada at her side and she responded, "We need to make sure if you are users of dark magic. If Eragon can search your one of your minds then we will be assured that you do not work for Galbatorix, or users of dark magic."

Major Park scowled and was about to object, when Rear Admiral Robinson, who had remained quiet for most of the skirmish and the conversation, stopped him. "You are right, you can never be sure who the enemy is. But how will you search our minds?"

This time it was Eragon who spoke up, "By magic, I will make the searching as painless as possible."

Rear Admiral Robinson motioned for the marines to put their weapons down, "Then search mine."

Major Park seemed uncomfortable with the idea but he knew that it was necessary to gain their trust so he remained silent.

Eragon nodded and then delved into Rear Admiral Robinson's mind. The rear admiral felt a strange outside presence, he struggled against it for a second then stopped, guessing that it was Eragon. He felt him searching his mind, several memories flashed by, how he used to sail with his father when he was young, how he graduated from Annapolis Naval Academy, and how he rose through the ranks of the Navy in World War I. Eragon seemed especially interested in the machines of war, and the machines that they considered to be every day objects.

After Eragon had gathered as much information as he could about those objects from his memories, he moved on. He saw the U.S.S. South Dakota... what was to be his ship. Then the progression of memories became to rapid to see. He saw little bits of what was going on but he couldn't tell exactly what they were.

Then as sudden as the presence appeared, it pulled out of his mind causing minor discomfort. The rear admiral shook his head feeling slightly disoriented. Eragon opened his eyes and said slowly after a moment of thought, "They are telling the truth, all these... things, are machines. Although I do not know how they work even though I closely examined it in his memories." With that Eragon turned to his dragon, seeming unnerved by something.

Nasuada's guards sheathed their weapons reluctantly. While Nasuada turned to Eragon to speak with him.

The trucks and jeeps pulled up and stopped close to the group. The marines got into the trucks once more and two different squads took off as scouts. Although Nasuada was offered to use the jeep again, she politely refused. Eragon, took off after talking to what seemed like a low ranking soldier.

Private Sullivan noticed something strange about that soldier. He walked too gracefully, his movements too smooth to be human. He shook his head and passed it off as his imagination as the trucks started to move again while the dragon flew above their heads.

* * *

As the sun started to set they came out of the forest and to the beach. The Varden soldiers saw something akin to controlled chaos. Tents stood left and right, all a shade of olive green. Supply crates were being transported to who knows where. There were marines dashing left and right while some stopped to stare at the new arrivals until told by the NCOs to get a move on. The convoy continued on until they came to a tent. The Varden soldiers looked around them at the new sights, such as the M-4 Sherman tanks.

As they got out of the trucks Major Park and Rear Admiral Robinson entered the tent, Nasuada and her guards followed suit. Then the dragon came hurtling out of the sky causing panic in the marines until officers calmed them down. The dragon snorted in distaste. Eragon jumped down to the ground and also entered the tent. The dragon was avoided by most of the marines or gawked at. The dragon seemed to grow increasingly agitated until finally it roared at the staring marines, which got them immediately back to work. All the marines kept their distance since then.

Inside the command tent, several officers where gathering information from the South Dakota and the scout planes. Large powerful radios were stationed here.

Rear Admiral Robinson sat down in a chair and motioned for Nasuada to sit on the opposite side of the desk. "Well we owe you an explanation now don't we?"

Nasuada who was as calm as ever said, "Yes, yes you do."

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Hope you enjoyed R&R and all that stuff.

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	7. Authors Note Please Read!

Author's Note

**Alright guys, I was gone for a long while. Because #1 I didn't know how to continue the story very well. #2 I was distracted by other fanfictions. And now #3 I think this story is very very bad. I like the story line, that is why I will scrap this story and make a new one. I am sorry and I want to make my story the best that it can be, so I hope that you will forgive me. On a more positive note, the introduction to the new revised story will come online very soon. **

**Your Author**

**-Anbraxis**


	8. AUTHOR'S NOTE 2

***gets up with a groan* W-what time is it? Where am I? OH DEAR GOD ITS BEEN NEARLY TWO YEARS! Well I guess this is long overdue people. I've been putting it off and putting it off, but here is the preview. Don't worry. This was directly cut from one of the upcoming chapters of the revised version. Prologe+chapter 1 will be up on new years day! Until then!**

Of course, one would like to think that their own country's border's were secure. Many children, and adults thought that certainly, there were constant patrols between the two warring nations of Surda and the Empire to stop their neighboring belligerents from slipping past. This however, was a fantasy. Nothing more. Much of the border and coastline was in fact, unguarded. Only at certain passes and roads there were guards, dressed in mail and helm, they patrolled the few roads that connected the empire from Surda.

With the great Hadarac Desert to the north, and the Beor Mountains to the east, Surda's proverbial eyes and ears were turned towards the east for a possible invasion. The Empire, like Surda, did not spot small motorized boats landing on an isolated part of their shore. Nor did they notice a few more peasants joining the masses of the poor and hungry.

Soon these "peasants" found their way through the far reaches of both countries. In the Empire, they reached the cities such as the critical port cities of Teirm, Narda. They also made it to major millitary installations such as Dras-Leona, Belatona, and even to Gil'ead, where the Empire held a large presence. Several even managed to reach the great isolated capitol city of Uru baen, adding to the masses of the sick and starving "scum" of each Surda, where the peasantry had less of a presence, they posed as farmers, or traders. From there, they _ listened._ It took nearly two months to establish all of these positions, and that in and of itself could be considered a miracle. They all knew they were pressed for time, but to establish a major information gathering network of this size in such a short time was unheard of.

From their respective positions, the spies heard stirrings of a black army of Urgals, monsters of hellish ferocity and destructiveness. They learned of the Empire and its all seeing Emperor, Galbatorix. They learned of the Varden, the resistance against the empire, and heard them cursed and praised. Its surprising what you can see and hear in markets, shops and garbage ridden streets.

Small, isolated receiver outposts were established, ahead of schedule, and for the first time in history, the tap-tapping of Morse code could be heard thought the Empire and Surda.

The mission, in all regards, was a stunning success. They had infiltrated two of the major powers in this strange land, and gained knowledge of their significant assets and intellegence of troop movements, politics, and the lay of the land. The spies were settling in nicely, and their network was secure, at least, for now. Admiral Robinson prayed. It was time. He adjusted his flared cap and cried in his deep, commanding voice, "Operation Valiant is a go! All crews to their battle stations! Today, we go to war!"


End file.
